Cherry Blossom 2005

Curator: Look at how the stark whites and greens just jump out from that mossy, charcoal background. Editor: It gives me a somewhat melancholic impression, actually. There’s a rawness here, an unfinished quality that is surprisingly moving. Curator: Well, what’s fascinating is how Tetyana Yablonska, around 2005, uses what appear to be pastel and perhaps even watercolor to create this evocative piece titled "Cherry Blossom". You know, the cherry blossom is heavy with symbolism across different cultures. Editor: Absolutely. In Japan, of course, they are profoundly tied to the concept of "mono no aware"—the pathos of things, the awareness of transience. This work whispers of that fleeting beauty. Curator: Indeed. It also references, intentionally or not, earlier Post-Impressionistic styles through color palette and the still-life format. You get these subtle layers upon layers of references, historical visual languages, that enrich the viewer’s experience. Even without the symbolism of the blossoms themselves. Editor: The composition strikes me. It’s quite asymmetrical and the rapid sketchy gestures of mark-making make it look so free. And while you mentioned Post-Impressionism, its spontaneity evokes the social struggles when looking into a work by Manet or Cassatt. Curator: It also is far from static. I can't help but imagine a gentle breeze blowing through those branches. Or, given it could possibly be watercolors, almost an evaporation of color as if the moment were to be lost any second now...a powerful meditation on memory itself. Editor: That evokes for me, even more strongly, the awareness of fragility but it’s still reaching out to find connection. Maybe it is showing an attempt to persist that's full of defiance. Curator: Defiance perhaps or it could simply be a call to remember those cycles of beauty in nature, memory, life. Editor: Regardless, Yablonska offers an experience steeped in emotional and socio-cultural awareness. Curator: Absolutely and through this seemingly simple study of cherry blossoms, she continues a potent symbolic dialogue.